Indian Information Technology Expatriates on an International Assignment: Adjustment and Satisfaction

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Abstract

The realities associated with adjusting to working and living in a culturally diverse country
and a new work environment brings with it challenging experiences for the Indian IT
expatriate. This research explores the influence that organisational factors, prior to the
assignment such as selection, pre-departure training, prior international experiences and time
to prepare, as well as initial and ongoing organisational support in the host country, have on
Indian IT expatriates at client sites who are on an international assignment in Australia. One
of the major challenges facing Indian IT multinational companies (MNCs) is the high
turnover rates among IT workers, thus making this research significant in understanding
MNCs role, in terms of the cross cultural preparation and support systems provided to
expatriates, that assist them prior and during the international assignment.
The IHRM expatriation and adjustment literature has mainly focused on Western managerial
orthodoxy and on expatriate managers going to work at their subsidiary offices. The current
research worked to bridge this gap by studying a different kind of expatriate, namely IT
workers at client sites and different migration context- temporary emigrant from the
emerging economy of India. The research attempts to address this issue by posing the
research question of ‘How do Indian IT expatriates experience their overseas assignment?’
through semi-structured interviews with two datasets and using the two theories; namely Met
Expectations Theory and Perceived Organisational Support Theory. In an international
context where IT workers are at client sites, it is argued that having accurate expectations of
the assignment is critical for their success. These two theories will be used as a foundation
for the current research investigation.